While researching shoe brands for a client recently, I stumbled upon a subculture i have never been aware of before. Sneaker culture. I can’t say that I wasn’t aware of it, but had no idea how deep that rabbit hole went and how many cultures it crosses. Growing up I remember right around middle school all of a sudden NEEDING the latest Jordans. It was a must. I didn’t care if i had clothes at all, as long as i had THE Jordans. Thats how i remember the sneaker craze. It started all with Jordans for me. At some point the sneaker craze passed me by, probably about the time i had to start shelling my own money out for new shoes. While my need for the latest Jordans subsided, the true sneaker freaks continued to crave the next big thing. The sneaker culture is interesting enough when strictly looking at a large group of people who collect shoes. But the really interesting thing is how this subculture has successfully bridged so many gaps in society over the years. A former colleague Chris Francisco has been at the heart of this culture growing up in the Bay Area. Chris got his start as a young graffitti artist, b-boy and sneaker freaker and eventually landed a career in graphic design. He introduced me to this subculture and explains it much better than i ever could:

“In one word “CONNECTED” It’s all connected bro, from your sneaker freakers to your toy collectors to Hip Hop Culture to fashion to action sports to revolutionaries…that shit is all connected. One bigass network, they all intermingle with one another. It’s always been connected, it’s only now that folks are starting to see it come together due to physical products that are produced and cater to the followers of the underground scene. Folks label them as markets, “Streetwear”, “Action Sports”, but in reality they’re all just underground heads who follow an artistic movement that revolves around independent self expression and free spirit.”

That being said, its quite amazing to see how people come together from many walks of life to admire each others artistic expression. One way this is being done is through underground art shows and product unveilings. Its probably one of the few places you’ll see an indie hipster mingling with a hardcore action sports rider while jamming to some crazy beats being spun by a local MC. Its truly a melting pot of people, passion and art. And all of this from a love of sneakers.

Check out more at this great e-zine:

http://www.inqmnd.ca/site/#editorsNote